About Co-operative

Who We Are

Co-operatives are social enterprises formed by members, for members, for good.

Co-operatives range in size – from humble store-fronts to large Fortune 500 companies. In fact, the Co-operatives can be found in all traditional economic sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, consumer and financial services, housing, and production (workers’ co-operatives).
While similar in many ways to any other enterprise, Co-operatives are unique in ways that truly matter to society and to the members they serve.

What is the co-operative difference?

Co-operatives are enterprises that put people at the centre of their business and not capital. Co-operatives are business enterprises and thus can be defined in terms of three basic interests: ownership, control, and beneficiary. Only in the co-operative enterprise are all three interests vested directly in the hands of the user.

Co-operatives put people at the heart of all their business. They follow a broaderset of values than those associated purely with making a profit. Because co-operatives are owned and democratically-controlled by their members (individuals or groups and even capital enterprises) the decisions taken by co-operatives balance the need for profitability with the needs of their members and the wider interests of the community.

Co-operatives are also enterprises that follow a set of principles and values.